I Believe in Miracles (2015)

The story of the history-making Nottingham Forest team that won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, led by the mercurial Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor.

Director:

Jonny Owen

Writer:

Jonny Owen (created by)

Stars:

Brian Clough, Peter Taylor, Jimmy Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Clough	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Brian Howard Clough)
Peter Taylor	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jimmy Gordon	...	Himself (archive footage)
John McGovern	...	Himself - Midfield & Captain 1975-1982
Peter Shilton	...	Himself
Viv Anderson	...	Himself - Right Back 1974-1984
Colin Barrett	...	Himself - Left Back 1976-1980
Larry Lloyd	...	Himself - Centre Half 1976-1981
Frank Clark	...	Himself - Left Back 1975-1979
Trevor Francis	...	Himself
John O'Hare	...	Himself - Centre Forward 1975-1981
Archie Gemmill	...	Himself
Kenny Burns	...	Himself (as Kenneth Burns)
Martin O'Neill	...	Himself - Right Midfield 1971-1981
Ian Bowyer	...	Himself - Midfield 1973-1981 (as Ian 'Bomber' Bowyer)

Storyline

The story of the history-making Nottingham Forest team that won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, led by the mercurial Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor.

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Plot Keywords:

end credits roll call | soccer documentary | sports documentary | sports history | soccer | 

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Taglines:

The remarkable story of Brian Clough and his European Cup-winning team.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

official site Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

O Milagre do Notthingham Forest

Filming Locations:

Nottingham, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baby Cow Films, Baby Cow Productions, Spool Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This the second film about iconic football manager, Brian Clough, following 2009's "The Dammed United", which portrayed his disastrous 44 day tenure at the helm of Leeds United. "I Believe in Miracles" begins with the famous 1974 "Calendar" interview with Clough in the immediate aftermath of his sacking.

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Connections

Features Calendar: Goodbye Mr. Clough (1974)

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Soundtracks

A Fifth of Beethoven
Written by Walter Murphy
Published by Bug Music Ltd, a BMG Company (c) 1978
Performed by Walter Murphy
(p) 1978 BMG Rights Management UK Ltd, a BMG Company

User Reviews

Feelgood Documentary That Might Have been Conceived Better

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES tells the story of a footballing miracle, for the most part achieved without spending vast amounts of money. In 1974 Brian Clough was sacked as manager of Leeds United after only 45 days ( a subject explored in Peter Morgan's THAT DAMNED UNITED). At a low point in an otherwise distinguished career, he took over at Nottingham Forest, then a mid-table Second Division club with few aspirations. Within a short time he not only secured promotion to the old First Division, but took the club to two consecutive triumphs in the European Champions Cup.

Jonny Owen's documentary tells this story with contributions from many of the players involved including John Robertson, John O'Hare, Archie Gemmill, Larry Lloyd, Garry Birtles and Kenneth (aka Kenny) Burns. To be honest, their comments are roughly similar in tone, attesting to Clough's remarkable skill as a person manager, allied to a naive belief that soccer is at heart a simple game played with passion and commitment. With Peter Taylor at his side (renewing a partnership that worked highly successfully at Derby County), Clough created a genuine team wherein everyone played for one another, for the most part with players who hitherto had led undistinguished careers. He did make some big-name signings such as the first £1m. transfer involving Trevor Francis, but otherwise he made effective use of low-cost players.

Clough was also a highly effective media performer. In these days of anodyne comments mediated through club media officers, it's refreshing to see just how blunt Clough actually was. He had a unique ability to answer the interviewer's' often banal questions, as well as point out the media's prejudices against Nottingham Forest for being an "unfashionable" club. On the other hand he was an incurable optimist, projecting a positive view of the future that could inspire players and viewers alike.

The story told in I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES is an effective one; the presentation less so. Director Owen's penchant for using late Seventies/ early Eighties music as a soundtrack is a good idea, but sometimes becomes intrusive, deflecting our attention away from the (highly entertaining) footage of Forest's games. The film seems too concerned to fit the narrative into wearyingly familiar tropes; hence when Forest play Cologne (Köln) in the first European Cup campaign, Owen sees the entire event as a replay of World War II - Britain against Germany - and uses the theme from THE GREAT ESCAPE. By the late Seventies memories of the War were becoming fainter and fainter as Britain tried to make its way in the EEC.

The film's ending seems somewhat rushed: we learn little about Forest's second European Cup campaign; nor do we find out about Clough's later career at Forest, when he fell out with Peter Taylor and suffered the humiliation of the club's being relegated. Nonetheless the story is an entertaining one, an evocation of a time when soccer was not the money-bloated sport it seems to be today.